Public Support for NGOs: the Case of Anti-Drug Nongovernmental Organizations in Russia

<p>Nowadays, more than 8 million Russians regularly or occasionally use drug, this kills more than 70 thousand drug addicts. It is observed mainly involving young people (under 30 years). We must not forget about the close relationship between drug abuse and HIV infection and viral hepatitis. Therefore such organizations as the anti-drug NGO (ADNGOs) become increasingly important &ndash; they are an essential part of the national system for combating the spread of drug addiction and the basis for the social rehabilitation of people suffering from drug addiction. A significant issue is the state support for these organizations, the existing opportunities and barriers in the way of ADNGOs receipt its.</p><p>The aim of this work is to identify opportunities and barriers to obtaining state support for ADNGOs.</p><p>There are the following tasks to achieve the aim: to identify the forms of interaction between government and NGOs; to analyze the development of the ADNGOs sector in Russia; to systematize existing forms of government support; to evaluate the effectiveness of state support for ADNGOs; to identify problems, complicating factors in the way of interaction between state and ADNGOs.</p><p>Conducted research in this work aims to identify existing opportunities and barriers of providing state support for ADNGOs. Expert interviews with 6 representatives of ADNGOs and qualitative analysis of secondary sources were used to collect information about the interaction between the state and ADNGOs. Relevant organizations were found on the site of the Federal Service for Drug Control of Russia, on the resource center &laquo;NGO portal&raquo; and by the &laquo;snowball&raquo; method. Materials of conference, round table and work of an anti-drug sector specialist were analyzed as secondary sources &ndash; found information was coded as &laquo;the opinions of leaders of ADNGOs&raquo; and &laquo;the opinions of the authorities&raquo; by the problem of state support for these organizations.</p><p>The following findings were revealed based on the research. First, such sources of funding as revenue from paid rehabilitation courses and donations are predominant in ADNGOs, much less &ndash; grants and contractual relationship. The choice of methods of collecting funds largely depends on the kind of activity ADNGOs. Secondly, organizational support and joint efforts are the most common forms of public support for ADNGOs. Thirdly, the participation procedure in competitions and preparation of accounting documents are a barrier for ADNGOs to participation in competitions for grants.</p>